LADOT employee Eli Glazier snapped this picture of the new protected bicycle lane as he biked in this morning.

Last night, LADOT crews installed delineators along 2nd St. in Downtown, making 2nd St. the first street to feature a protected bicycle lane in Los Angeles. Each delineator will work in combination with the 4 foot buffer to alert drivers to the presence of the bicycle lane. A delineator is a hard plastic post about 3 feet tall. The delineators were installed 48 feet apart along the outer edge of the bicycle lane’s buffer.

LADOT crew members apply epoxy to delineators they installed along the 2nd St. tunnel bike lanes last night

2nd St. is now the first street in Los Angeles to feature a physical separation installed between a vehicle travel lane and the adjacent bicycle lane. Dividers can be difficult to install because the final street design must balance the needs of bicyclists with the need for bus and motor vehicle drivers to access the curb lane for bus stops, driveways, right turn movements, and parking.

As we continue to work to create more of these separated bike lanes in the city, (including the MyFigueroa project), we hope to pilot more innovative designs that resolve many of the conflicting needs described above. For more information about citywide plans for “cycle tracks”, as they’re often known, read up about the proposed “Bicycle Enhanced Network” at LA2B.org. Many thanks to Councilmember Huizar for championing the 2nd St. tunnel delineators as an important first step in these efforts.